Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-10-09
PARKWAY ALASKA.
SIGHTS AND scxHSs IN Our NORTH
WEST TERRIr0RY.
Fighting the Seal Pirates-dold and sil.
yer Losd'-fhe Salmon
Fisheries.

fs,,Ra corrospondencc Of tue Philadelphia
evening Balcin.l
For this chat sit yourself down with
me 4. 900 miles from home on a lookout
at the top Of the Government buildings
and military post-the largest and tall
est structure 10 this the spallest capital
of the largest OF our territorial posses
sions, and the point from which SIC be-
Gin 10 bend our voyage homoward.
Those two moored schooaers, whose
dcnuded masts project up into the air
like ointers near the old tumble-down
wharf. which the Olympian (our
steamer dare not approach. but an
Choir d ont, are the seal cruisers seized
last wear 10y the United States Govern
ment for trespassing on or near the
leased islands, 81. Paul and st. George.
in the Aleuiian group of to the west of
this point. Those three other small fine
looking vessels have Just come in TO day
~ seizures iy our cruisers for having
fur.scal goods or skins in them or in
some way broken the laws contrary 10
onr Governments contract with the
Alaska Iur.soal Company. They showed
evidences also that they We're going 10
fiji with a cargo of seal-skins from
Eehrnp Sea in American waters. These
are nglIsh vessels, and as one OF the
cap.ains claimed that they intended 10
pnrchasc fur goods from the Indians
apd even seal skins, but not from those
l,csed islands Of ST. Paul and St.
GcorQoOf the Alaska Company, lcannot
see Low the United States can hold
them. inasmuch as they were not, |
believe. in the immediate peighbor-
hood of the two islands which the
Alaska Fur Company has leased of the
Government and for which il is paid
SGl7.aC0 annually, and has for seven
tc,u years, and the company is obligated
MT 10 catch more than 100000 seals
annually. Nor were they, | believe,
directly in Behring Sea, but on orr
Pacific coast only. just where the
Ii,h seas begin and end | think
Nil he question for inter
national lawyers and England and
An,rica 10 decide, and / shall take
considerable interest IN seeing how the
matter ends. If the Chesapeake bay
is United States property then | sup
nose Tehring Sea is also. These fur
SEA, Islands are in Behring Sea. and the
United States forbids the killing of
seals here by others than natives and
the Alaska Company. But these YES
els are found with seal skins and In
dim, belonging to other places, who
60 ont and Kill seal contrary to Law
and bring them in to these vessels.
Seizures are being made of American,
English. or any other nations vessels
found In that region with seal-skins
aboard. ! suppose Indian canoes would
be sazed in the same way il we only
had I'M service here more revenue cat
tors az small fast boats suitable for
closer WATCHING Of this long coast and
IFS inland waters. Indians (natiyesD
,rc allowed to catch seal by the
ulted States Government for their
own use, hut not for general sale.
F,icc there is good ground for these
sDlurcs ANYHOW. Your eyes have not
ben olrned to the wealth OF this re-
c.,r. as mine were not fully until |
can, here and Observed the resources
a. this DISSENT and. The Hudson Bay
C.uranv and their fur trade is about
ar ", have known in the past many
wear. ina general way of this North
west American and British region OF
tl!s continent
uIGH PRICE or COAL.
Tor hundreds Of miles back We have
l,ln passing through straits and chan
I,s iIom whose margins rise steep
l-. covered with immense forest
g.. uth. while from the gorgcs and "a
,uc that run from the waters edge up
mug these lofty peaks, tall, dense
forest growth is visible, and the inhaoI-
tabs far and scattered rs they are, tell
q. That the timber is of vast extent
til, ihc trees are os large size and
,ly tai and perfect in many OF the
r.,u,s. But thon the law here, or the
a.s,uce of laws. should say, gives IN
,,,ors no protection or security Tor
tie money which they may invest III
t.,se vast timber-lands.
st Douglass island coal was selling
at sll per ton, and had TO be brought
81 ven or eight hundred miles in vessels (;
and fre.wood, which one would sup
r.se 70 be 81 or g per cord, brings y
q cord. simply because labor Is hlgh,
lalor,rs few. and the local means OF
transport very limited, there being lew
or no horses or carriages OF draugnt
teamsexceIt those brought here by com
papies interested in mining operations
and what boats are here mostly belong
~ the natives and are OF the 50 dug
ont" variety (that is, a large tree hol-
lowed ont and cut into the shape OF a
canoe bv the Indians), and they are
unfit for transporting freight such as
wood or coal. The difficulty, also, o.
getting the timber down from the NIL
side to beach on the water edge
without constructing especial siiue Is
much greater than would be al nrS'
,uupo, ed. for the reason that dense
ndercrovth Of bramble bushes, two OF
tbrce feet high. and long, thick moss IN
many places keep the fallen trees iro N
sliding down to the waters margin on
these steep slopes, as logs, or 50 that y
may be cut up for timber or hreWoou
use. ,,oo,, lilo.
covered. and when capital has security
and protection anu Lli4c w e''NN
tbcm an abundance Of soft coal VIII Dc
had for steamers or for general use by
the people.
GOLD AND SILVER.
Another source of productiyeness Of
Alaska is It's gold and silver leads
some OF which have been developed
and are being worked with great profit,
But it takes millionaire to put IN the
requisite plant for getting out t6e ore
and separating the precious metal, and
as it j. not likely that many men will
hasten here, unless they bring good
large bank account with which to start
themselves in mining operations IN any
ore of these already-discovered gold
lands, it will be years before other goi,e
and silvorveius are successfully worked
Veins of metal-bearing quarts run
from three to four hundred feet vide II
some places, or even wider. The
Trcadwell mine at Douglass island his
a vein four hundred feet wide, OF IN
Uncovered depth, and running al